2012 Bonnes-Mares, Grand Cru, Olivier Bernstein, Burgundy

2012 Bonnes-Mares, Grand Cru, Olivier Bernstein, Burgundy

Product: 20121019719
Prices start from £2,510.00 per case Buying options
2012 Bonnes-Mares, Grand Cru, Olivier Bernstein, Burgundy

Buying options

Available by the case In Bond. Pricing excludes duty and VAT, which must be paid separately before delivery. Storage charges apply.
Case format
Availability
Price per case
6 x 75cl bottle
BBX marketplace BBX 1 case £2,510.00
BBX marketplace BBX 1 case £2,550.00
You can place a bid for this wine on BBX

Description

The name may derive from bonnes mères, the good mothers (nuns) of Nôtre Dame de Tart, or from the verb marer, to cultivate. The vineyard (15.06ha) has a complex terroir with both red clay and a whiter marlstone soil. The vines are 50-years-old and the stems always ripen well here; accordingly Olivier has vinified this wine using 80 percent whole bunches.

Fine bright purple with notable depth, the beautifully perfumed nose has none of the astringency which can be associated with whole-bunch vinification. Instead the presence of the stems has aerated the vibrant blackcurrant and strawberry fruit, leavening the weight of the wine with a fresh crunch at the finish. A complex, lovely, harmonious wine.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

The wines of Burgundy – perhaps more than any other region – are a product both of place but also of people. With individual vineyard plots often split amongst countless producers, the terroir expressed in a wine can be unusually specific; equally the style of the winemaker can be readily discerned when tasted against his neighbours.

Back in 2007, Jasper Morris MW – Berry Bros. & Rudd’s Burgundy buyer, who lives in the region for most of the year – heard whispers about a new producer, whose wines were said to be universally impressive. Jasper duly sought out Olivier Bernstein and tasted his portfolio: “It was terrifically exciting to come across a brand-new quality producer in the Burgundy market, and to taste wines of such class from his very first vintage,” says Morris.

“Now, five years on, Olivier has matured into a confident player with his Premiers and Grands Crus wines of the Côte de Nuits.” Since Berry Bros. & Rudd first offered Bernstein’s wines with the 2007 vintage, Olivier’s reputation in the UK and worldwide markets has steadily grown. We are delighted that the 2012 vintage

wine at a glance

Delivery and quality guarantee

Critics reviews

Wine Advocate92-94/100
The 2012 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru includes 80% whole cluster fruit this year and comes from vines adjacent to those belonging to Lalou Bize-Leroy. The nose is very composed, perhaps less raucous than Bonnes Mares can be, with neatly placed red berries, cold stone and distant marine scents. The terroir shows through clearly here. The palate is medium-bodied with good body and depth. This is quite a serious Bonnes-Mares, reminiscent of Frederic Mugniers in some way, underpinned by firm tannins and a linear, focused finish. This is a grand cru with sophistication and breeding, perchance a bookish Bonnes-Mares! The 0.18-hectare parcel of Mazis-Chambertin that was under fermage was finally purchased by Olivier Bernstein last year a propitious parcel of octogenarian vines.
Neal Martin - 30/12/2013 Read more
Jancis Robinson MW17+/20
Very rich, black fruited and a bit dry on the end but with lots of voluptuous fruit. Dramatic but a bit demanding at the moment.
Jancis Robinson - jancisrobinson.com - 13-Jan-2014 Read more

About this WINE

Olivier Bernstein

Olivier Bernstein

Much has changed in Burgundy, both economically and climatologically, since Olivier Bernstein began his eponymous project with the 2007 vintage. Yet the aim here remains essentially the same: to produce wines of the highest possible quality and to forego nothing in a quest to create elegant, sensual and refined wines that can sit comfortably among the top wines of Burgundy.

It is this quest for perfection that has seen Olivier cease production of two of his Premiers Crus in order to focus on his domaine holding in Champeaux, and the seven Grands Crus which are now well established in the range: Charmes-Chambertin; Mazis-Chambertin; Chambertin Clos de Bèze; Chambertin; Clos de la Roche; Bonnes Mares; and Clos de Vougeot.

Find out more
Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.

Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.

Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.

The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.

Find out more